Feed mechanism for sewing-machines



(No Model.)

B. STEPHENSON.

FEED MEGHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

No. 430,897. Patented June 24, 1890.

W/T/\/555E5. Q W- J, MMQQM Md qfzmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD STEPHENSON, OF TVOLLASTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,897, dated June 24, 1890.

Application filed March 10, 1887. Renewed December 31, 1889. Serial No. 335,481. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD STEPHENSON, of WVollaston, (Quincy,) in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to feed mechanisms for sewing-macl'iines, and is particularly applicable to the lVillcox dz Gibbs type of machines.

It is the object of my invention to provide a four-motion feed mechanism operated from a single rotary shaft, which shall be at once simple in construction and entirely efficient in use. 7

To the foregoing ends my invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked-thereon, forming a part of this specification, in which drawings- Figure l is a side elevation of a lVillcox & Gibbs sewing machine having my improvements applied thereto, parts being represented as broken away. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the same partially in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on the line 2 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view of the feed-bar, some of the co-operating parts being represented thereon in dotted lines. Fig. 5 isa section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the flight ofthe arrow marked thereon. Fig. 6 is a top plan View of the feedbar, feed-dog, and some of their immediatelyassociated parts.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, (i represents the frame of the machine; I), the main operating-shaft; c, the driving-pulley on the main shaft; cl, the needle-arm; e, the pitman connecting the main shaft with the needle-arm 5 f, the needlebar; g, the rotating hook or looper, and h the presser-bar. These and other essential parts necessary to equip a complete operative sewing-machine and not hereinafter otherwise set forth may be the same as those commonly employed in the class of machines to which my invention relates and need not be particularly described.

2' indicates the feed-bar, having a feed-dog j, of usual construction, secured thereto. The feed-bar is supported at its forward end on a crankpin or eccentric extension 7c of the main shaft and at its rear end on a block Z, loosely connected with a rocking plate m, the latter being in turn pivoted, as at n, to the bed of the machine. Eccentric-pin extends through a box 0, adapted to slide in a slot 19, formed in the feed-bar, and block Z is constructed so as to reciprocate in a longitudinal groove q, formed in the rear side of the feed-bar. Several of the elements last mentioned are lettered in Fig. 4, though shown therein only in dotted lines. An eccentric 7', formed on the main shaft, where it extends through rocking plate m, is adapted to operate in a slot formed in said plate, as shown.

3 represents an. eccentric secured to the main shaft and adapted to operate a pitman t, adjustably connected to a link to, secured at its lower end to a rock-shaft o, having suitable bearings in the bed of the machine, to the forward end of which rock-shaft is secured a lever to, slotted at its upper end, as shown at so. A box y is adapted to slide in the slot 00, formed in lever 10, and a pivotpin a, passing through said box y into feedbar 1', connects the latter with lever u), so that as the latter is oscillated by rock-shaft v the fced-bar will be moved to and fro longitudinally.

Eccentric-pin is, operating in sliding boxo in slot 19 of feed-bar 2', will result in raising and lowering the forward end of said bar, and eccentric r, operating in the slot formed in rocking plate m, will effect a similar movement of said plate, the latter rocking on its pivot n, so that when the forward end is raised the rearward. end will be lowered, and vice versa. v

The arrangement of eccentric r with respect to eccentric-pin 7c is such that when the latter is operated to raise the forward end of feed-bar 2' the former will effect the lowering of the same end of rocking plate'm, and as the feed-bar is loosely connected at its rear end to the rear end of the rockingplate it follows that when said feed-bar is raised at its forward end it is also raised at its rearward end and is bodily lowered in like manner. 'Now the timing of the parts is such that when the feed-bar is raised bodily and squarely upward, as described, lever 10, operated by rock-shaft '1), will effect a rearward movement of the same to feed the fabric through under the presser-foot, and when the feed-bar is lowered bodily and in a substantially vertical line, asit will be, by the means hereinbefore explained, lever 10 will be operated to move said feed-barforward to be again raised as before.

Iain thus enabled by the simple devices described to obtain a perfect and efficient four-motion feed from a single rotary shaft.

It is obvious that the form and arrangement of parts comprising my improvements may be varied within the limits of mechanicalskill without departing from the nature or spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is The combination, with the bed of the machine, of the rotating main shaft, a rocking plate pivoted to the bed and slotted, as described, an eccentric on the main shaft operating in said slot, a feed-bar also provided with a slot and having a sliding connection at one end -to one end of said rocking plate, an eccentric on the main shaft operating in the slot of the feed-bar, and an oscillating lever having a sliding connection with said feed-bar, substantially as hereinbefore V set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed. my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 2d day of March, A. D. 1887. y

I RICHARD STEPHENSON;

Witnesses: v

ARTHUR W. CROSSLEY, C. F. BROWN. 

